Friday, 31 March 2017

Vivid Sydney: A festival of light you shouldn't miss!

I love festivals. Even so, it took me a while to get into Vivid. 'Lights shining on buildings' - how exciting could that be? As it turns out - really exciting, especially when one of those buildings is the spectacular Sydney Opera House! Vivid Sydney is in its ninth year. For the first five or so of those years I couldn't be bothered making the effort to drag myself into town to see it. It is only a twenty minute train trip from where I live, but Vivid is on in late autumn. It is cold and dark! I am not a great fan of either. A few years ago a family event forced me into the city purely by chance during the Vivid festival. Since I was there anyway I dragged David into town too, organised dinner in the city with number one son, dug my overcoat and winter boots out of the back of the wardrobe and set off to find out what all the Vivid fuss was about.

This is what I discovered. Forget fireworks on New Years Eve (too crowded), forget Lunar Lanterns at Chinese New Year (this year it rained), forget the Gay Mardi Gras (rain again - why do they hold this in March when it always rains), forget Sculpture by the Sea (although that one is pretty good) - just drop everything and come to Vivid. It is without a doubt the best event Sydney puts on. So much more than 'lights shining on buildings', Vivid Sydney bills itself as a festival of 'Light, Music and Ideas'. I am not sure about the ideas but the lights and the music are stunning. Just to give you a taste of what you might expect I have dug out some old photos of Vivid in years gone by.

I am putting this post up now because THE CLOCK IS TICKING - but don't panic. It doesn't matter where you are in the world you still have time to jump on a plane, train, automobile or camel and make it to Sydney in time for VIVID!

Where - Sydney Australia. Vivid is not confined to the CBD. In 2017 the festival will also be on as far afield as Chatswood, in Sydney's north. For where to see Vivid go to Vivid Sydney: Precincts.

When - 26 May to 17 June 2017.

Cost - There are paid events, (none of which I have ever been to) but seeing the lights is absolutely free.

My tips: -

The best place so see the Vivid lights on the Opera House is from the opposite side of Circular Quay, between Hickson Road Reserve and the Overseas Passenger Terminal. There are a couple of harbourside restaurants here with great views.

There are boat tours which do Vivid Cruises and I am sure they are fantastic for seeing the Harbour Bride, the Opera House and all the buildings around Circular Quay, but don't just rely on a cruise because many of the best displays are not visible from the harbour. There is no substitute for arming yourself with a map and just walking around.

If you want to see Vivid from the harbour but don't want to do a tour, catch an inner harbour ferry. The F4 and F5 ferries to Darling Harbour and Neutral Bay go past the Opera House. You can get off at Kirribilli or Milsons Point and walk or take a train back across the Harbour Bridge. Darling Harbour is also one of the Vivid Precincts. It is a short walk back to town and you can plan your route to take in the Vivid Sights at Barangaroo.

Don't just stick to the city centre. Go to Precincts on the Vivid website to see all the locations. The display at Chatswood sounds especially fun - a kind of Blade Runner comes to Hong Kong. Chatswood is on the North Shore train line about 20 minutes from the city.

Wear a warm coat, and comfortable shoes. May/June in Sydney can be a bit chilly at night and you will do a fair bit of walking if you want to see everything.

Vivid can get very crowded so avoid weekends if you can.

If you enjoyed this post or found it useful please consider sharing it. I always appreciate the compliment. You will find social media share buttons below and in the left-hand side margin.

I publish a new post each week. If you would like to follow our travels, check back each week or enter your email address in the 'Never miss a post: Follow by email' box in the right hand sidebar just below my profile picture.

62 comments:

Every year I think about this way too late. I would love to see Vivid. The photos here and others I have seen are just so energetic. That first one looks like it is out of the the future. Our 20th wedding anniversary is in May, maybe vivid is the perfect option.

We were super pleased a few years back to have sailed into Sydney at the end of a NZ cruise and stay for a week. What a bonus when we realised our last night there was actually the first night of Vivid so we were familiar enough with the area to make our way around to a few vantage points. It was the finale to a very memorable trip.

Wow, what a spectacle! It must have been quite an experience to be in Sydney during this festival. I haven't seen anything like it before. From what you are describing Vivid is quite unique and I would love to experience it.

I saw a lot of photos of last year's festivals and have to say the illumination that are part of the festival are incredible (and so well thought and executed). I am glad you got to experience the festival even thought the weather is a bit chilling. #wkendtravelinspiration

Very cool! No wonder it is called Vivid. I would love to see this and like that it's spread all around town. I've not heard of other cities doing this annually and on such a large scale. I guess it's another aspect of why Sydney is so unique.

It is great that this is a fun free event that anyone can attend. We have light shows here in Edinburgh sometimes and we have them in Ohio around the holidays and we always enjoy them, but they are not on this large of a scale! Laurence would definitely enjoy the night photo opportunities!

Fantastic. the only time i see lights like this is at Christmas and I have to stand out in the cold to enjoy them. how nice to have an event like this at a more temperate time of year (I think?) #wkendtravelinspiration

Oh nooo. We will be in Sydney at the end of march this year :( I would love to see it... These photos are absolutely amazing... Hopefully we will come back to Sydney one day to see this festival ;) #TheWeeklyPostcard

Glad that you went to see the lights because I had seen a photographer's website a year ago in which he posted numerous photos of Vivid Sydney, it was gorgeous! Wish I could be there, perhaps next time I can schedule my trip to Sydney around the same time as Vivid Sydney display :-) Cheers! #TheWeeklyPostcard

Vivid is held every year at roughly the same time. It probably isn't the best time of year to visit in terms of sunny days and nice weather but I suspect that is why it is held when it is - to get visitors to come outside the peak period.

I'm very impressed with the light show. Better than than one I saw on Parliament hill in Ottawa (although it was neat). Your tips were really helpful because my first thought was that taking a cruise in the harbour might have been the best way to see the lights. No! I've bookmarked this post for my trip to Sydney...whenever that might be!

David and I park near North Sydney Wharf and take the ferry from there into the city. That way we get to see the Opera House and the bridge from the water, then we walk around to all the displays you can't see from the harbour.

Light as an art medium is just fascinating! And boy, it looks like Sydney does a massive festival with it! Definitely something we'll have to consider as we start planning our first Australia trip. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard!